Franz NINGEL

Figure skater Franz Ningel finished seventh in the pairs at the 1955 World Championships with Marika Kilius but won the bronze medal in both 1956 and 1957. They finished fourth in the 1956 Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics. They won three consecutive bronze medals at the European Championships 1955-57.

He later competed with his wife Margret Göbl, and at the 1962 World Championships they won a bronze medal, having finished fourth in 1960 and fifth in 1959. In four consecutive European Championships 1959-62 they finished respectively fourth, third, second and third. At the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Games both finished fifth.

As a roller skater Ningel was the World and European Champion in 1956 and 1957 with Marika Kilius, and the two also won the West German roller skating and figure skating titles from 1955-57. He again won the West German pairs figure skating title 1960-62, this time with his wife Margret.

Ningel and Göbl then joined the professional ice show Holiday on Ice and spent eight years with the show. In 1972 both founded the Ningel Ice Skating School in Duisburg. Ningel worked as a roller skating and figure skating coach until 2005. Their daughter Jasmin was also a figure skater and their son Manuel became a hockey professional.